The Prince and a Girl
by angiembabe
Summary: The young prince Atem meets Mana for the first time when she is brought to live at the palace. After a bumpy start they become close friends. It is a friendship that will last forever. Written for Aqua Girl 007.
1. Chapter 1

Sorry this has taken me so long to do. This is a story for Aqua Girl 007, featuring Atem and Mana growing up in Egypt.

I hope you like it.

I do not own Yugioh or any of its characters.

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Prince and a Girl. Part 1.

Introductions.

Why was she was crying?

A small boy of around six years old clung to his mothers skirt, peering out from behind her with wide amethyst eyes. He was watching a petite girl of about the same age as him, maybe a bit younger.

She seemed to be upset about something. Of what? He was unsure.

Everyone was supposed to feel safe, and the children were always happy in the palace harem. So why was this little girl so upset?

By the look of her tattered linen dress and unkempt appearance, it was obvious that she was a peasant. And although he was not permitted to play with peasant children, he felt drawn to her. She was so tiny, and had the most amazing long, wavy, chestnut coloured hair. He couldn't see her features properly, because her nose was running and her face was all scrunched up with her sobbing, making her cheeks look all red and puffy. But he knew that underneath all the snot and tears she was cute.

The small boy vowed to find out why she was so sad. And when he did, he he would make her happy again.

Having been upset by the little girl's crying, several of the other children that lived in the palace harem had already started to fret and cry.

He looked up at his mother with tears now forming in his own eyes. "Why is she crying?" He asked.

His mother bent down and gathered him in her arms. "It is okay Atem," she soothed, stroking her hand through his unruly hair. "Her name is Mana. She is coming to live with us at the palace. She has powers that are very much like Mahado's, but her parents are afraid of her powers, and are unable to cope with looking after her any longer. They have allowed us to bring her here so that she may be trained how to use them properly."

The young prince Atem nodded his understanding as his mother continued to explain. "She is crying because she is sad to be leaving her family. But she will be safer here. People from her village find it hard to understand those who are gifted with powerful heka." She decided not to tell him that Shimon and Aknadin had come to her aid after she had caused chaos at the market place, after her heka had become unruly. The market stall holder had called her a demon child of the underworld and she had almost been stoned to death.

"Then I will be her friend," Atem replied assertively.

He was not afraid of her heka, he was already familiar with Mahado's powerful use of heka, and viewed him as a big brother.

Mahado was four summers his senior and although only six, the young Atem was well aware that his friend and role model would one day serve as his priest, along with the other older children in training, Karim, Isis and Shada. The four were often by his side, as it was their duty to see that no harm befall the precious young prince and future Pharaoh. A duty, which at times, was extremely difficult due to the young prince's wilful and adventurous nature.

Atem wiped away his tears on his mothers skirt and approached the young girl. "Hello Mana, my name is Atem. We can be friends." He stated confidently.

Mana paused in her sobs for a moment and glared at him through her tears. He looked pompous with his silly grin, big eyes and silly hair, so she stuck her tongue out at him and blew a loud raspberry.

"You insolent child. How dare you behave in such a disrespectful manner towards the prince!" The woman assigned to look after the distraught child snapped angrily and shook Mana quite hard, making her cry again. She had not heard the woman tell her he was the prince!

Atem was momentarily stunned, no one had ever acted this way towards him before! He found it extremely funny. And, as the horrified adults and other children; who were all accustomed to acting with utmost respect towards their future Pharaoh, stood gawking., Atem burst out laughing. He grabbed both his ears and pulled them so that they stuck out. He then opened his mouth, stuck his tongue out and let rip with a loud raspberry, spraying Mana and the woman holding her with spit. He then tapped Mana on her shoulder and shouted, "You're it. You can't catch me! I can run faster than you." He turned and started running around the large room.

Mana instantly wiped away her tears and started chasing him. She was fast, but Atem was a small light boy who was nimble on his feet, he easily dodged her as she tried to catch him. Out of frustration, Mana unwittingly lost control of herself and summoned her heka.

To the stunned gasps of the onlookers, Atem suddenly found himself flying through the air. He landed with a thud on the hard ground, his head connecting with a stone pillar, knocking him momentarily unconscious.

Mana stood still and put her hands to her mouth, gasping in horror at what she had done to him.

As he sat up groggily, a trickle of crimson blood flowed from a head wound and ran down the side of his forehead and face, dripping off his chin.

Within moments the small prince was surrounded by people wanting to help him, making him feel overwhelmed. He started to tremble with the shock of what had just happened. "Mamma.." he wailed, as his tears erupted.

His mother pushed through the crowd and cradled him. "It is okay my son. Someone call a physician?" Everyone just stood gawking. "Now!"

Meanwhile, Mana was in trouble. Mahado's guardian and mentor came storming into the harem. Usually adult males, other than eunuchs, were not permitted in the nursery, but under these circumstances, this was an exception.

The terrified little girl was taken to a room and placed there while an appropriate punishment was decided upon. Of course Pharaoh Aknamkanon would need to be informed.

Thankfully, while it bled profusely, the wound on Atem's head was only small. He had a bit of a head ache, but was otherwise unhurt. His main concern was what had happened to the little girl, Mana. "Please don't punish her," he pleaded with his father, who stood scratching his beard in thought as Aknadin and Shimon argued.

"I told you it was dangerous to bring the child to the palace." Aknadin lectured Shimon.

"What else should we have done? Stand by and watch while those ignorant fools stoned her to death?" Shimon raised his voice.

"Yes, if that is the will of the Gods."

"Don't be so heartless. The Gods ensured that we were there to save her."

"ENOUGH!" Aknamkanon boomed at the bickering pair. "You are not helping. If my son wishes that no harm or punishment be inflicted on the girl, then so be it."

Meanwhile, Mana was sat on a padded bench seat, with her knees pulled up to her chest, in a room that was small by palace standards, but large compared to the living accommodation she was used to.

_What is to become of me now_? She thought. _My parents no longer want me, everything I touch breaks and everything I do is a disaster, or worse! I only wanted one apple from that stall, I didn't expect every single apple, pomegranate and fig to start flying around, hitting people! Maybe they are right to say I am possessed by a demon from the underworld. The priests should have walked away and left me to my fate. Because now I have killed that poor boy! And he was only trying to be friendly. _Fresh tears started to fall.

Just then there was a knock at the door. Mana looked up as it opened and a tall skinny boy of about ten entered the room. Mana looked at him with a fearful expression.

"Don't be afraid Mana. I mean you no harm. My name is Mahado," he introduced himself. "I am your new big brother." When he smiled at her his soft grey/blue eyes lit up with kindness, setting her at ease.

Mana managed a weak smile. "Is the boy I hurt alright?"

"Yes, he is fine. He has a thick skull," he laughed. "It will take more than a bump on the head. The young prince is tougher than he looks."

"Prince?!" Mana gasped. "You mean as in _prince-_ prince?"

"Yes, prince Atem is the heir to the throne; the future Pharaoh."

"Oh my Ra!" No wonder everyone was so angry with her. "I nearly killed the prince!" A look of terror graced her features. This time she did not deserve to be saved.

"Relax. I am here to inform you that you will not be punished. Prince Atem has forbade it. His father, The Pharaoh, is also a compassionate and kind man. He has granted his son's wish that you be spared."

"But what of my curse? I am possessed. You saw what I am capable of!"

Mahad smiled at her and sat down next to her. "You are not cursed, you have been given a rare and wonderful gift from the Gods. You just don't know how to control it... Yet.." He raised his hand. "Watch this? A ball of flame appeared in his hand. He threw it gently back and forth between his hands, before allowing it to hover and dance little patterns around the room. Mana sat watching with wide eyes.

He then sent the ball of flame towards an unlit torch suspended in a holder on the wall, and used it to light the torch. "There," he said in a calm voice. "You and I share the same gift. I too struggled to control my power to begin with, but it is not a curse. In time you will learn and when you do, you will be a powerful magician and sorcerer. One day, you may even be a priestess."

"Wow, really?"

"Yes really. Now come?" He stood up and held out his hand. "The prince has asked to see you." He waved his hand in the direction of the torch and extinguished it, before leading Mana to Atem's chambers.

An embarrassed Mana stood in the entrance to Atem's chambers, rocking on the balls of her feet, with her hands clenched nervously under her chin. She could see prince Atem sitting cross legged on a large bed, with a woman whom Mana assumed was his mother sitting next to him.

"Please don't linger in the doorway Mana, you may enter." The woman spoke assertively but softly, which put Mana at ease.

She entered the room with her head bowed, as she had been taught to do in the presence of royalty. When she was standing in front of Atem, she stopped and bit her lip whilst staring at the floor.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled.

Atem's mother prompted him with what he should say.

"Look at me," he blurted out, rather more abruptly than he had intended.

Mana jumped slightly and looked up to meet his gaze. She had never seen such engaging eyes. A light blush graced her cheeks. Underneath his golden bangs, a bandage was pressed to the top right hand side of his forehead, "I'm sorry I hurt you. I didn't mean to."

Atem smiled at her. "We can still be friends though, can't we?"

She nodded in reply and beamed a smile of relief. "Yes please," almost too enthusiastically.

"Would you like to see my cut?" He beamed, pulling the bandage off before she had chance to answer. He proudly lifted up his hair to reveal his wound. Mana peered at the purple bump with a cut in the centre that was just under a centimetre long, and winced. It had been expertly sutured by the physician.

"Would you like to play?" He asked.

"Atem, the healer said you should be resting." She knew getting him to sit still and rest was a tall order.

He pouted. "Rest is boring. I want Mana to play." He folded his arms and sat with his back upright in a defiant stance.

His mother sighed. There was no arguing with her son when he adopted this pose. He nearly always won the battle of wills.

"Okay, but nothing too boisterous."

He grinned a triumphant grin and scurried over to a large box, expertly crafted from reeds. "Come on Mana."

She tentatively joined him and was in awe when she saw all the beautifully carved toy animals in the box. He pulled out a wooden crocodile that even had a hinged jaw. It had a piece of cord attached to its nose so that when Atem pulled it along, the jaw snapped open and shut. She had never owned toys like this. They had been hand crafted with the utmost attention to detail.

The two children played, and for the first time in a long while, Mana felt relaxed, so relaxed and carefree in fact, that she did not worry in the slightest, that her heka might take control and spoil things.

After a little while a servant entered with refreshments. Mana had never seen such a beautiful silver tray before.

"Wow," she said running her fingers over the pattern beaten into the precious metal.

"It was a gift from.. I don't know where," he admitted. "I get taught all these things, but I forget. The grown ups say I should know all this stuff. They say when I grow up I need to know, because I will be the King. But I would rather play than go to Aknadin's classes."

"Don't you want to be Pharaoh?" Mana asked.

"I Don't know. One day perhaps, but it's very hard work. Father has to sort out all sorts of disputes and things with the people. He gets cross with them when they argue with each other and calls them imbeciles."

"What does imbeciles mean?"

Atem thought for a moment and then replied. "I don't know." They both giggled. After getting off to a rocky start, they were becoming good friends, forming a bond that would grow and last forever. Even after death.

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**Five Years later.**

Mahado was right, Mana had learnt to control her gift; she no longer referred to it as her curse.

In the five years that she had been at the palace, she had grown to love her magical abilities. The best part being that she could play tricks on that horrible Aknadin.

It had been obvious to her that he disliked Atem, by the lack of respect he showed her prince during class.

Atem had been struggling with translating a document written in Greek. Aknadin had called him an idiot boy in front of her and two other children. One of the children was being tutored to become a scribe, the other, was a new boy of thirteen summers, who's name was Seto. He had been personally selected by Aknadin to train for the priesthood.

Those two children would most likely serve under Atem when he became Pharaoh, so Mana felt it highly inappropriate for Aknadin to say those things in front of them. Especially when he seemed to have chosen Seto as his favourite, stating that he would make a far better Pharaoh than a spoilt little brat that preferred to play games with peasant girls.

She just wished her prince had retaliated and said something to put him in his place, instead of sitting straight backed in his chair, the only expression on his face being a slight smirk.

She had struggled to restrain her own heka from retaliating on his behalf.

"I hate that man. Why didn't you say anything back to him?" Mana asked, after they had been dismissed.

Atem shrugged. "Why waste my breath. It was obvious to me, that my silence irritated him far more than if I had retaliated with words."

"I don't know how you can be so calm. I wanted to turn him into a toad. Did you not hear what he said? He thinks Seto should be Pharaoh! That's blasphemous, he should be tried for treason," she ranted.

Atem only laughed. "I thought he was already a toad! Anyway he is right, I do struggle with languages."

An embarrassed Seto joined them. "Pardon me your highness. May I apologise for what happened earlier. I wish to inform you that I have no ambitions to be Pharaoh, nor do I have any claim to the throne. My wish is to serve you as a priest when you ascend the throne. I have no idea why Lord Aknadin favours me in such a way."

A wicked smirk graced Atem's features. "Maybe he fancies you as a lover Seto!"

"What!" Seto looked horrified. "No..I would never allow it." He had turned bright red in the face. A look of horror came over his face when Aknadin emerged from the classroom and addressed him.

"Seto, may I speak with you in my chambers for a moment?"

Seto's eyes widened. "No..I would never allow it," he repeated. Pretending not to hear, he beat a hasty retreat.

Grinning mischievously, Atem grabbed Mana's hand and ran away in the opposite direction from where Seto had gone.

Thanks to the power of his eye, Aknadin had seen Atem's thoughts. Frowning angrily, he marched towards his brothers chambers. How dare his insolent little brat of a nephew make such smutty remarks. To imply that he should have such perverted feelings towards his own son was preposterous.

Aknadin wished he could tell Seto that he was his son and that royal blood flowed through his veins. But to do so would spell disaster; the fall of a dynasty, Seto included.

He had disowned his wife and son, that was the sacrifice he had been forced to make when he drew on the powerful dark forces of the underworld to create the millennium items. Oh how he regretted his actions now, but there had been no other alternative. His own soul may be damned, but he would not damn his only son as well.

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Atem and Mana ran out towards the stables. Atem had recently been given a beautiful light grey Arab colt, with a charcoal mane and tail. The young animal was not quite old enough to ride yet, but Atem and the colt had grown quite attached. Atem was an expert young horseman, and planned to train the horse for racing.

"I hope we don't get in trouble for being rude to Aknadin." Mana was leaning on the stable door, watching her prince petting and feeding a hand full of grain to the colt.

"Aknadin is a silly old fool," he replied. "He is jealous because one day, I will be Pharaoh."

Rocking on the balls of her feet, while gently swinging the door backwards and forward, Mana sighed. _How do I tell my prince that I wish to be his princess?_

Atem stopped petting his horse and looked at her. "What's the matter Mana?"

"When you are Pharaoh, will we still be friends?"

"Mana! Of course." He walked over to her and pulled her away from the door. Holding her by both of her hands, he peered into her eyes. "We will always be friends, okay?"

His voice was full of sincerity and his eyes held a truth in them which made Mana feel reassured.

Just then they heard voices. Mana gasped. "That sounds like the Pharaoh!"

"Father! He must be looking for me!"

They both peered out from behind the stable door to see Aknadin with Pharaoh Aknamkanon walking towards the stables.

Atem noted that Aknadin had a face like a squeezed lemon, while his father looked slightly fed up. He guessed that Aknadin had probably told his father that he had been insolent- again!

The young prince snarled angrily as his temper started to rise up within him. "I bet Aknadin wants me punished for what I said earlier."

Sensing he was getting angry, Mana squeezed his hand. "This way." She dragged him away. The pair crouched down and ran along behind a low wall leading to some steps, which lead up to an arched walkway.

Unfortunately Atem's unruly hair could be spotted, sticking up above the top of the wall.

As they reached the top of the steps, they heard a servant shout. "There they are my lord."

"Oh no, they've seen us!" Atem moaned.

"Quick!" Mana ran along to where a row of large vases lined the walkway. "In here, quick!"

Choosing the largest vase, the two children jumped in. It was a bit of a squeeze but they just about managed to fit in.

"Where did they go?" Aknadin turned to his brother- the Pharaoh, as the two men stopped right by the vase the children were hiding in.

"In have no idea," Aknamkanon sighed. "This really is a waste of my time Aknadin. I will speak with my son later." Why his brother couldn't just let a childish misdemeanour go was beyond him.

"With respect brother. The prince is given far too much freedom. He is being influenced by that unruly peasant magician girl. You will have a problem on your hands when they are of breeding age. If you are not careful it will lead to the Royal blood being tainted with a child born from the womb of a peasant bread makers daughter. "

Mana could feel her blood starting to boil at the insult. Atem had to put his hand over her mouth and hold her down to prevent her leaping out of the vase and putting a spell on Aknadin. At the same time he could feel his own face turning beet red at the suggestion of him fathering a child with Mana.

"Enough Aknadin!" Aknamkanon bellowed. I will not allow you speak of my son in such a way. "I have had enough of your complaints against him and his young friend. Just because you had to abandon your own wife and son, I will not allow you take out your anger on _my _son."

Neither man realised that anyone else was in ear shot of their conversation. The two children listened to the conversation with disbelief. They were also starting to get rather uncomfortable. Mana's knee was starting to dig into his groin and Atem had become aware that his face was also pressed against her chest. It had not gone unnoticed by him that she was beginning to develop breasts.

"Yes, and I did it to save _you_ and _Egypt_ from destruction. I lost everything that day, for what. This cursed eye and a sense guilt. Because of this curse I am not even permitted to inform Seto that he is my son!"

"I am sorry if it causes you pain, and if I could have it any other way I would. But you knew what you were taking on and we all gave up a piece of our souls for the power granted us by these items." He held out the golden, upside down pyramid resting against his chest. "One day Atem will inherit this god forsaken thing. I only hope the Gods will have pity on him and protect him from the evil it seeks to suppress."

Atem was trying to listen intently to what they were saying. _Pity? Evil?_ He had always been told the items were for the good of Egypt.

Mana however was not listening quite so intently because one of Atem's golden lightening bangs was tickling her nose and she was trying very hard to stifle a sneeze.

Atem suddenly felt her shift slightly causing her knee to dig more painfully into his groin. He flinched and as he did so his wild hair tickled her face and nose even more. Mana lost control and let out an almighty sneeze.

The two men startled at the noise and turned in the direction of the pot, which was now rocking violently on its pedestal.

They jumped out of the way just in time as it toppled off the pedestal and landed with an almighty crash, shattering into pieces.

Both gasped in horror at the sight of the two children laying dazed among the wreckage. Atem appeared to be in pain, while Mana, who had landed on top of him was whimpering.

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**That's part 1, part 2 to follow. **

**Please review.**


	2. Chapter 2

And now for the conclusion.

I don't own Yugioh or any of the characters.

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A Prince and a Girl. Part 2

"Atem! Mana!" Aknamkanon's heart leapt into his throat at the sight of the two children laying on the ground among the pieces of broken pottery. "Fetch a healer, NOW?!" He bellowed at a stunned Aknadin.

"Y... yes." Panicking, Aknadin ran inside to find either Mahado or Isis. Both were known for their abilities involving healing.

Mana suddenly sat up and started crying hysterically, her tears mixing with the blood running out of her nose. Meanwhile, Atem's sobs were more suppressed.

Aknamkanon was not very good at dealing with hysterical children. The women in the harem looked after the children so he was completely out of his depth and unsure of what to do.

Luckily for Aknamkanon, Isis was soon at his side to lend a hand. A servant also accompanied her.

"Oh Ra! You poor children! What were you doing in the pot? You know you have been warned about the dangers of playing in those pots," she scolded, while at the same time examining them gently.

Luckily neither had sustained any serious injuries, such as broken bones. Just a few cuts and bruises. The worst injury had been to Atem's back, where a piece of broken pot had lodged itself deeply into his flesh. He was taken to his chambers, where Mahado used his healing heka to remove the offending object and close the deep wound, thus preventing the possibility of infection and scarring.

Both children were confined to their chambers for the next three days as punishment for showing disrespect to Aknadin, and for running away and hiding.

On the second day, Aknamkanon came to have a serious talk to his son about the events that had occurred.

"Good Morning Atem, I trust you are feeling much better today?"

"Yes father. The bruising is not as painful today. And look? The cut on my back is almost completely healed thanks to Mahado!"

"Yes, well think yourself lucky you were not hurt more seriously. Promise me you will not hide in the pots again?" He said sternly.

Atem bowed his head slightly. "Yes father. I promise."

"Now, I need to ask you what you heard us talking about while you were hiding in the pot?"

Atem sucked on his bottom lip. "Seto is Aknadin's son! And the millennium items are evil." He started to fret and looked at his father's pendant nervously.

Aknamkanon placed his hand reassuringly on his son's shoulder. "The items themselves are not evil, but as you well know, they do require the bearer to have strong _Ba_ and _Ka_. That is why the priests have been specially chosen. I believe you have learned about the tests they have to pass in order to join the priesthood in your studies."

Atem nodded, deep in thought. _If Aknadin is my father's brother and Seto is Aknadin's son.._ "Does this mean I am related to Seto?"

"Seto is your cousin, but he must never know of this, so I must ask that you keep it a secret and never utter a word about the conversation you heard."

"Yes father, I promise. What about Mana?"

"Mahado and Isis are dealing with Mana."

"Poor Seto.. Having Aknadin as a father! " He wrinkled up his nose in disgust. "Perhaps it is good that he does not know."

Aknamkanon chuckled. "My brother wasn't always this way. When we were growing up, he was happy and full of life. He looked up to me as his older brother and respected that I was first in line to the throne; we were very close. He adored his wife and son too. It was his love for his family, for Egypt and myself, that drove him to use the dark alchemy to forge the millennium items." He sighed and clasped the upside down pyramid in his hands. "Even I do not understand the sacrifice he had to make; my brother will not tell me. What I do know however, is that it took a terrible toll on his soul. In return for the items, he was forced to disown his family in order to preserve maat. That is why you must not tell Seto the truth."

It made the young prince feel sad that everyone involved with the items seemed to pay some sort of price for them. "Isis and Karim used to be fun and play games with us. Now they have the items they have changed. They don't play any more," Atem said sadly. "Will I change when I inherit the pendant?"

"I don't think their items have changed them!" He laughed and ruffled his sons hair. "They have just grown up and taken on responsible roles within the palace. You will understand when you are older."

Atem frowned. He had heard lots of rumours and gossip surrounding the millennium items. "Isis gets headaches when she gets a vision. Is it true that the former priestess who wore the necklace went mad after she experienced a vision showing the fall of Kemet?

"I know that people say all sorts of things, some of them may hold some truth but many are just rumours. I will tell you what I _do_ know, because it may affect you in the future, so you have a right to know. The former priestess Esther experienced a vivid premonition, telling her that one day the evil that is kept imprisoned in the shadows by the items, will make itself known. When that day is near, the chosen one will be crowned king, and we shall know him by the three Gods of Egypt which he and he alone commands. She claims to have looked into they eyes of the beast from the shadows as it sucked away her soul. The poor woman is now insane."

He looked into his son's wide amethyst eyes as they looked up at him in bewilderment. He tried to give his son a comforting smile as he felt tears prick his eyes. His son looked nothing like anyone in his family. With his wild black, magenta tipped hair, streaked through with the golden light of Ra. His beautiful amethyst eyes shone like precious gems set in his perfectly shaped face with its flawless complexion. Even his name bound him to the Gods. Aknamkanon had never fully understood why he had felt compelled to call his son Atem; a variation on the great Sun God Aten Ra.

But since Esther and Isis' visions, he had come to understand that his own precious son may have been chosen by the Gods to save Egypt from some sort of disaster.

He reached forward and pulled Atem close, hugging him tightly. He had already lost his wife and second child during childbirth, so Atem was all he had left.

Atem could feel the pendant digging into his ribs. It was radiating a warm, welcoming sensation which permeated his body, calling to him, pleading with him for acceptance. Aknamkanon felt it reaching out for Atem too, and at that moment, he knew without a doubt that his son was the chosen one.

Chosen for what, he did not know. He could only hope that when the time came for his son to face this challenge, he would prevail.

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Kemet was peaceful and its people continued to prosper over the next few years. The children had grown too. At almost sixteen summers, Atem was now considered a man in ancient times, and with it his responsibilities and duties as a member of the Royal family and Pharaoh in waiting, grew.

Mana found it irritating that they no longer spent their days playing and having fun. She felt that her prince was becoming a little too serious, so she constantly sought ways in which to bring out his mischievous side.

A new trade agreement had been made between Egypt and Greece. A delegation from the Greek government had arrived in Egypt for talks. Greece was looking for Egypt's support in protecting their trade routes into Spain and had plans to trade with a now much more civilized Ancient Britain- where gold and other trinkets could be traded for bronze, tin and furs.

A huge banquet had been arranged, so Mana decided on some light entertainment to wow the guests. It was a little magic trick that she and Atem had learned. She had struggled, but Atem had mastered it, often using it to amuse Mana. She decided to show him that she had mastered it as well.

Unfortunately her attempt backfired! It wasn't her fault that she lost control of her dancing fire flies. Possessed by magic, they ziiped around the room, sending panicked diners diving for cover. It was Aknadin's own fault that his beard caught fire! He wasn't fast enough to react and get out of the way! Now she was in the dog house, banned from attending any more functions for the time being, and relegated to eating with the servants.

It was now evening and Ra was setting, casting long shadows. Mana was sitting feeling sorry for herself in Atem's favourite shady spot, underneath an old almond tree, overlooking the Nile delta. She hadn't seen him properly for three days, since these stupid meetings began.

Suddenly out of nowhere a dozen fireflies appeared in front of her, dancing romantic little patterns in the rapidly fading light.

"I thought I might find you here!" Mana shivered slightly upon hearing his beautiful, baritone voice. Now that his voice had broken it sent pleasant ripples through her body.

"Prince! I thought you would still be with the guests. How did you know where to find me?"

He released the fireflies and watched them as they danced away into the night. "I used my excellent powers of deduction, and it seemed the most obvious place." He slumped down beside her. "Ugh! It is so tedious being stuck in meetings all day. I would much rather be spending my time with you."

"I'm sorry if I ruined things this afternoon." Mana smiled at him apologetically.

He brushed it aside and started laughing. "It was the highlight of my day! Everyone is still talking about it. Of course Aknadin is not quite so amused."

"Oh dear," she grimaced.

"Don't worry," he gently took her hands in his and squeezed reassuringly. "I'm just sorry that father felt that he had to punish you. You were the only person in there keeping me from going insane with boredom."

"How did the meeting go?"

"Good... until they got onto the subject of marriage. In particular _my _marriage! They have been talking about securing the alliance by forcing me to marry the Greek king's daughter. I don't even know what she looks like! What if she is ugly and has a big crooked nose and rotten teeth! They didn't even ask me for _my_ opinion either." His normally beautiful baritone was becoming raspy and high pitched. "Shimon discussed it with the ambassador right in front of me! As if I wasn't even there! Grrrrr..." He punched his fist against the ground angrily. "I will not be forced to.. to.. breed with a woman I do not desire."

Mana's heart sunk. If only she could tell him how she felt about him. She felt sure that he felt the same way, but although they were friends, he was a Royalty and she was a peasant. They could never be together.

::::::::::::

The following week, after the Greek delegation had left, an emergency meeting was called when the priest currently holding the millennium ring died suddenly.

For Mahado, it came as no surprise, his master had looked tired lately. He had informed Mahado in confidence, that his heka was growing weary of fighting the darkness growing in his heart. He feared that the ring had encouraged the darkness to grow and sought to feed upon it.

Over the many years that he had been teaching Mahado, he had taught him that every human being had the potential to become victims to the darkness. The amount of darkness that could grow depended on the individuals personality, and on how cruel their life had been.

The ring had recently been growing in strength and was too strong for him to control any longer. He was confident that Mahado's soul contained heka so powerful, that the ring would not be able to corrupt him.

With his health rapidly diminishing, he called Mahado to his chambers. "Please do not underestimate the task which awaits you Mahado. You will need to be stronger than you can imagine. The ring possesses darkness and an evil, far stronger and more dangerous than I could ever have imagined. Serve the Pharaoh well my boy, for I believe that the kingdom will soon be in danger. I will not live to witness this threat, for as Ra rises tomorrow, my soul will have departed this mortal body."

"Master NO! Please, fight it?"

"I cannot, and nor do I wish to. Here, take it." With shaky hands, he took off the ring and handed it to Mahado. "You are far more capable of protecting the Pharaoh than I. Good night and farewell my young apprentice." He closed his eyes, and Mahado could sense his soul leaving.

Shortly after Mahado had received the ring, it showed him the truth about what had happened at Kul Elna. The revelation shook him to the core and he felt compelled to lock the evil deep inside the ring using his most powerful heka. He also felt that he had no choice but to tell the Pharaoh what he had seen.

When he heard this terrible truth, Pharaoh Aknamkanon became unwell. He tried to cover up his failing health but he soon felt so unwell that he no longer felt fit to rule Egypt. He was dying and he sensed he only had a few more hours left, so he called his only son, Atem, to his chambers.

"Father!" Atem came running into the room with tears in his eyes. "Tell me it is not true? You will get better father, you have to. I'm not ready to be Pharaoh."

"Atem, my son." He reached out for him and Atem grasped his hand tightly.

"Please don't leave me. We will find better healers," Atem sniffed.

"No. They have done all they can. The sickness within me cannot be cured." He slowly and with great discomfort lifted the millennium pendant over his head. "Here, this belongs to you now. It holds the power of unity. Only you are strong enough to protect and hold our kingdom together. Rule Egypt well my son." He let out a breath and then went still.

"FATHER! Noooo." Atem broke down sobbing over his fathers body.

Isis allowed him some time to say goodbye to his father, before gently touching his shoulder and leading him outside, so that Shimon could call the embalmers to prepare the body for burial.

As he and Seto accompanied Atem back to his own chambers, Mahad could not stop himself feeling a sense of responsibility and guilt for Aknamkanon's death. _If I had not told him the truth! But then again, It was my duty to do so."_

Mana was waiting for him when they arrived. "Prince!" She embraced Atem in a hug, which he returned gratefully.

"I.. I am Pharaoh now." He stepped away from her and held up the pendant which he was holding in his hand; looking at it as though it would bite him.

"You are, and you should dry your eyes. A Pharaoh should not show weakness," Seto informed him.

"You are right Seto." He put the pendant down on his desk and took the cloth Mahado offered him. He wiped away his tears and blew his nose loudly.

"Seto, Mahado. You may leave now," he commanded. They bowed and turned to go. Mana went to follow them also.

"Mana! Not you," he barked. Then more softly, added. "Please... stay with me?"

There was something gentle and loving in his tone and Mana noticed his furrowed brow as he continued to stare at the pendant that seemed to be calling out to him.

"You should put it on."

"Should I not wait until my coronation?"

Mana shook her head. "No, it has already accepted you, you should wear it immediately if we are to maintain maat."

"Hmm. You are right." He picked it up and felt a tingling sensation in his arm. He slipped the rope over his head and allowed the upside down pyramid to rest on his chest. Immediately, he felt its power course through him, mingling with his heka. It felt as though it should have always belonged with him. "It is not as heavy as I thought it would be," he mused.

He closed his eyes and in his mind he felt the three Egyptian Gods calling him. Osiris; God of the heavens, Obelisk; protector of the palace and the golden phoenix God (Not chicken) Winged Dragon of Ra. They seemed to be telling him that they were here to protect and serve him. It made his head spin.

"Prince! Are you feeling okay?" Mana was suddenly afraid for him.

When he opened his eyes he appeared to be almost unreachable, distant; as if he himself were a God!

He smiled at her softly. "Yes Mana, I am fine."

When he smiled at her, Mana gasped in amazement, it was almost as if his eyes were glowing. His hair looked wilder and glossier than she had ever seen it before, and his posture seemed imposing and commanding. It made the hairs on her neck stand on end. He was quite simply, breathtakingly beautiful. _In a manly sort of way_, she corrected herself.

She knew that she would be in love with him forever. At the same time she felt a jolt of sadness when she realised she might not be able to hold onto him. "This princess, will you take her as your queen?" She asked, not trying to disguise the hurt.

He looked at her with a surprised expression and then took her hands. "Mana, please believe me when I say, that no matter how much pressure Shimon puts on me, I will resist. My heart belongs to you, and as Pharaoh, it is I who decide who to take as my wife." He frowned. "I don't wish for some other woman to sit upon the throne as my wife, while being forced to keep you as a lover."

"Do you think the priests will accept me as your queen?"

"Shimon and Aknadin will not. Seto I don't know. The others, yes. For now, we should keep our feelings for one another secret. I will put off naming my queen for as long as possible."

He leant in and placed a tender kiss on her lips. It was the first proper kiss they had shared. He took her hands and steered her towards his bed. "Come. lay with me? I do not wish to be alone right now."

"But what if I were to become pregnant with your child?"

He shrugged. "A virile Pharaoh is considered a strong leader. If you were carrying my child, it would give me one more reason to take you as my wife. It is no secret that my father sired a daughter with one of the harem women. While they are keen for me to take the Greek princess as my queen, they also wish for me to produce the next heir to the throne with my half sister in order to maintain the royal blood line. I, however, have no wish to father a child with her. Nor she with me because she is in love with Karim."

"It all sounds very.. complicated."

"Tell me about it." He rolled his eyes. "Of course, as the new Pharaoh, I will give Karim permission to make her his wife." He grinned mischievously. "Problem solved."

"You are devious," she said, relaxing in his arms. "I love my devious prince."

"You mean Pharaoh."

"Can't I just keep calling you prince?"

He sighed. "I suppose so. Now let's get some sleep. I have a busy day ahead of me tomorrow."

As they awoke in each others arms the following morning, neither could have known that their love was doomed, for the evil waiting in the darkness was gathering its forces, ready to strike at the heart of the kingdom, tearing it apart. And to save it Atem would have to make the ultimate sacrifice.

**The End.**

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**We know what happens next! Which is why I decided to end it there and not go into the battle agains Bakura, and the rise of Zorc and the high priest of the shadows.**

**Please leave a review. I love reviews :-)**


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